Bury The Fury, Discover The Cursed Child
by MagicalT
Summary: Kyuume Akemai has found a new life in Konoha. He has no memory of anything from his past and possesses incredible potential. After being trained into the most elite ninja, his abilities have become a blessing and a curse to the Village.
1. Stigmata, The Boy Of Unknown Origin

Bury The Fury, Discover The Cursed Child

Chapter One: Stigmata, The Boy Of Unknown Origin

Disclaimer- I do not own Naruto™, This is only a rendition of said show and not an actual part of Naruto™

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The team rushed through corridor after corridor, their target nearly in sight. Their white masks flickered in the slits of light that penetrated the darkened halls of the underground compound as condensation dripped eerily from the ceiling. None spoke a word, they couldn't; this mission was too important. The sound of a hushed hissing and slithering filled them as the shadows danced around corners and other hallways, fueling their anxiety and paranoia. Their leader, holding a large black staff, had a stoic face as he contemplated his next attempt at dealing with his impending fear. His mind was flooded with the "what-ifs" and "could have beens" as the figure of his anticipation slowly crawled into a door at the end of the hall. His gaze met his comrades as they nodded and rushed quickly to either sides of the door. In one count, they burst open the door and looked in horror at the sight before them. Walls covered with jars of specimens, some animal, maybe even human. Containers full of liquids and powders that have been repeatedly mixed and morphed into multiple experiments gone awry. The figure stood with his back to them as their leader addressed him firmly.

"Alright, this is the end. Give it up, Orochimaru..." His voice lingered on the vowels and sounds of the name.

The figure chuckled and slowly turned to face his aggressor, "Is it now? I didn't know you actually had the ability _to _stop me, Sarutobi-Sensei." he grinned maliciously.

His words struck hard, "Don't play games with me Orochimaru! Your sick, twisted dreams end here!" he pulled his staff out which said a quick word as well, "Come on Sarutobi! Kill him, now!"

Orochimaru chuckled again and looked at his teacher with his cold, deadly stare, "Your a fool, you may stop me now, but my true experiment has come to fruition and you cannot stop it!!" he quickly made a few hand signs and sent a whirlwind through the air.

Jars and containers flew everywhere until the dust erupted and settled slowly. As it cleared, Sarutobi stood solemnly, his comrades slain with blood splattered across the ground and ceiling. Their lasts breaths called out to him but were in vain as the word would only deepen his regret. They cried, "Hokage-Sama..." He winced, right then, he did not deserve such a title.

Orochimaru appeared behind him with a sneer, "See? I knew you couldn't do it. Its already too late, like I told you. My dream will be realized, you foolish old man."

Sarutobi looked straight ahead, "Your right about one thing. I didn't stop your dream. But..." Orochimaru felt the stab of the staff through his stomach, he let out a gurgling gasp as blood poured from his mouth. "Your not leaving here with it."

"Grrr, you stubborn, old fool!" He jumped forward and got away from his assaulter. "There's no time to use _that _jutsu, I'll have to retrieve _it_ later." He looked to Sarutobi, "You think you've won, but you'll never find _it_! I'll destroy you and this place before I let_ it _be discovered!" He disappeared and seconds later, the underground facility began to crumble.

Sarutobi turned and ran through the door and looked around quickly. He saw the trail of blood and followed it intently until it took him to a wall. It had a bloody hand print on the far right brick so he pushed it as well, a door opened. Inside was nothing but pitch black nothingness and Orochimaru standing, his hand against the adjacent wall. His deranged smile was all that could be seen before he disappeared. Sarutobi looked on as the compound ceased to rumble and the anxiety began to subside. A faint whisper could be heard in the room, it was Orochimaru's lingering voice.

"You may have thwarted my dream for now, but I'll make sure that you will suffer for your insolence!" The voice dissipated as Sarutobi leaned against the doorway. He stood there staring into the nothingness thinking of the ulterior motive to Orochimaru's plans.

About an hour or so later, more white-masked ninja appeared at his side and investigated the situation. After the facility had been cleared, they all stood by Sarutobi as he still stared into the darkness. One of the ninja threw in a small lighting device that would flicker only so much light at a time so as not to trigger any trap tags. Through the flickers, a body could be seen, a small boy's body. His head was in between his knees as he sat curled in the center of the room. Sensing that there was no trap tags, the ninja felt the wall closest and found a light switch. Only a few fluorescent bulbs flickered showing only the center of the room. There was the boy, he was indeed alive, but shallowly breathing. Sarutobi looked intently at the boy and saw a faint circle around him. Lines followed the ends on the circle but were shadowed by the dimly lit room. His eyes widened as he knew what that circle meant. A white- masked ninja took a step into the room before Sarutobi could stop him.

"No! Wait! Stop!" he yelled quickly. The white-masked ninja turned to face him only to see the expression of horror on his leader's face.

The room began to glow with a dark black and purple light as the circle made itself more apparent. It was made up of symbols and the lines too were etchings. They came to life as they slithered across the ground and onto the child. He began to wail and scream in pain as the symbols crawled up his arms, legs, chest, and back. They all seemed to be centralized around his head as the boy sat there, his hands on his ears and his eyes wide and almost lifeless. Sarutobi had to act fast if he wanted to save what was left of this child.

"All of you! Go to the points of sealing and prepare to release them!" All the white-masked ninjas got to a point of the circle and made hand signs ready for the signal. Sarutobi cried out, "Now!" All of them yelled, "Release!!" and the remaining symbols yet to reach the boy were dissolved before they could reach his head. The boy sat absolutely still, his body releasing large amounts of heat that could be seen emanating off his body and his eyes devoid of anything except for the same soulless stare into the wall in front of him. Sarutobi approached him and touched his shoulder, he could feel a thick cold from his skin even though heat was coming off of him.

He asked the boy, "Hello child, can you hear me?" The boy nodded slightly.

"Can you speak?" The boy sat silent. "Can you understand me?" The boy shook his head solemnly.

A white-masked ninja came to Sarutobi's side, "Hokage-Sama, look at him, his hair, his clothes, he is not of any village nor of this entire region."

Sarutobi looked to him, "What are you trying to say?"

The white-masked ninja replied, "I'm saying, he has no village, no family. He has no origin."

Sarutobi looked to the boy and sighed, "Then he shall have ours, we will raise him under ANBU security until we figure out who he is and what he has to do with Orochimaru."

The boy's expression lightened at the sound of that name. He had only heard a few mumbling words in the strange tongue the people spoke, but it began to become clearer as they continued. After a few more minutes, he opened his mouth and began uttering out a few words that started out as guttural sighs and slowly formed words.

"I...I..I'm...my...name...my name...is..." His eyes began to blur as he started falling sideways, "...is...Kyuume..Akemai..." his body fell limp as he hit the floor unconscious.

Sarutobi reached and caught his head before it could hit and looked at the unconscious boy. His eyes full of sympathy and his mind full of rage. What could Orochimaru have done to this boy to where he had become almost comatose upon contact with the outside world? Before any of this could be answered, he would have to take care of this boy and help him recover from the traumatizing events incurred in this facility. He picked up the boy and looked to his comrades. With one simple nod, all six of them disappeared in an instant away from the underground tortures and back to the safety of their Village Hidden in The Leaves, Konoha.

Inside Konoha's hospital, the boy was sweating and constantly turning over and over mumbling something to himself unintelligibly. The doctors performed scan after scan while he slept but found no abnormalities on his body. It would be another day and a half before the boy awoke from his slumber. He looked around curiously at his surroundings. The light came in gently through the curtains as the smell of warm food filled the air. His eyes drifted to the side as a plate of a large assortment of food laid spread before him. Feeling as if he hadn't eaten in days, he eagerly started eating bowl after bowl of rice, noodles, meat, and so much more. His eyes welled with tears, he had never eaten this well for as long as he could remember, which wasn't very far. Too hungry to notice, a tall oldish man entered the room in a white and red robe and a gleaming smile. He walked to the side of the bed just as the boy was about to reach for a glass of water next to him. He looked startled and curled back in his bed slightly but then relaxed when he recognized the man's face.

The oldish man spoke out to him softly, "Hello child, I see you still have a healthy appetite, that's good." he smiled and let out a small chuckle.

The boy stared at him and watched his lips move trying to figure out what the man said. Slowly he opened his mouth and tried to imitate those same sounds, "H-Hello..I..see..you.." he smiled slightly.

The man sighed, "I see you still have a hard time speaking. Perhaps gestures would help." He began to point to himself, "I am Sarutobi." Then, he pointed to the boy, "You are?"

The entire time, the boy had picked up more and more, his mind was like a sponge. He spoke, this time, a bit more fluidly, "Hello Sa-Sarutobi...I am...Kyuume..." The boy smiled again.

"Nice to meet you, Kyuume." Sarutobi took Kyuume's hand and shook it gently.

Kyuume copied this gesture, "Nice to meet you, Sarutobi." He shook his hand back.

The two laughed as a calm filled the air, maybe now Sarutobi could figure out what exactly Kyuume was. He asked him, "Now Kyuume, I would like to know something. Where exactly are you from?"

Kyuume looked at him puzzled, "Where..I..from?"

Sarutobi smiled, "Yes, where did you come from? Where is your home?"

"Home..home..home..." Kyuume's voice trailed off as he began to fill the chill of terror in his body. Images of the pale-faced man and the experiments he suffered were blotting his thoughts. Shaking his head, he responded again, "I..no..home.."

Sarutobi sighed and smiled once more, "That's alright Kyuume, for now, this will be your home. You are welcome in Konoha."

Kyuume's face lit up, "Konoha! Konoha!" he repeated over and over. "This is my home!" he laughed and wriggled in his bed.

Sarutobi smiled and patted the his head just before he left. He thought to himself, "Well, he seems to be a quick learner. And he has no signs of trauma anywhere on his body. But his amnesia, perhaps repressed memories." His eyes widened, "Is that what that was?! Those seals, were they to keep whatever Kyuume knew a secret?" Sarutobi walked through the hospital pondering these revelations when an ANBU officer appeared next to him.

"Hokage-Sama, it appears that there is no sign of Orochimaru in the village anymore. Jiraiya-sama and his team have left in pursuit of a presumed lead. Should we proceed with the tests on the boy?"

Sarutobi nodded, "Yes, lets see what this boy can tell us about who he is and where he came from. But be wary, I sense something about him, something that could turn disastrous if left unchecked."

The ANBU looked to him, "What would that be, Hokage-Sama?"

"That, I do not know. But this bo, Kyuume, he will be of great use to this village alive than left to be experimented on by Orochimaru." With that, Sarutobi continued to walk through and out into the streets.

He made his way to his office and sat down solemnly with his hands together and his eyes straight forward. He was contemplating every possibility of what Kyuume could mean to Orochimaru. If Kyuume did know things that Orochimaru didn't want known, then how could they extract it from him without hurting him? Thoughts flooded the weary Hokage's mind but he knew he had to perform one more tasks before going on his days as Hokage. He pulled up an empty file with no name on it, on the tag, he put "Akemai, Kyuume." He added information to what he thought would be appropriate for him. He left some areas blank: birth date, and family ties; but at the bottom of the page, he left three small notes. They read: Sub. Priority: SSS-Class, Sub. Sentence: Maximum Security Examination and Training, Sub. Prerogative: Supreme Warfare.

-Please, if you will, review this chapter. There are more on the way but your opinions are greatly appreciated.

-Also, be sure to review my other stories, including my own story that I do actually own Progenies of The Fallen City. Thank You.


	2. Abeyance, The Boy’s Power Unleashed

Bury The Fury, Discover The Cursed Child

Chapter Two- Abeyance, The Boy's Power Unleashed

Disclaimer-See Previous Chapter

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It had been five grueling, long years since the incident with Orochimaru and his experimentations. The Third Hokage had found the boy named Kuuyme and took him in as a top priority citizen of the Village of Konoha. Over the five years, Kyuume had been sent to a secret facility just outside the village walls. Back before his departure, he had made much progress in his skills for speaking and understanding. On week one, he had the mind of an infant, then on week two, he was already whisking through the town like a normal child speaking fluently and acting with full vigor. On the outside, Kyuume seemed to be just another boy enjoying the prosperity of his home, Konoha. It wasn't until the tests to determine more about his origin that the hardships began.

The doctors documented much information on him in those first days. He was approximately eleven years of age, 5'7", dark-haired & dark-eyed, and was in full health, he was an average boy. The only thing that bothered doctors was his blood work. In many samples, his blood would last much longer and coagulate at a much slower rate. This revelation meant that he could age like a normal person, but he will retain one specific age, his prime. At the peak of his physicality and mentality, he would remain that way for many years to follow. It was like his body was designed to remain perfect forever. The Third overlooked the hard facts and only saw Kyuume as he was, a young boy with no one in the world. He took him in and raised him as he would his own son. Kyuume himself felt as happy as he could possibly be. Even though he could not remember anything from two weeks back, he was content living the life he had now. To him, the man who saved him was more impressionable to him than anyone else. He trusted him fully, like no one else. He felt that life could not be better, until the day where the man became a shadow in his mind. On the day before Kyuume was supposed to leave, the man came to him with a solemn face.

Kyuume smiled happily, "Sarutobi!" he ran and hugged him tightly.

Sarutobi smiled, "Hello Kyuume, how are you?"

"I am very well! Today, I ate ramen for the first time and it was delicious! I also played with the younger children today! Even though I am much older than them, it was much more fun to play with them than the children my age. One had funny yellow hair, another had bright pink hair, and there were two brothers, a younger and older one, who were training with each other! They had fans on their backs and both had dark hair." he laughed and continued, "I also visited the Hokage monument on the mountain! You are there aren't you?!"

Sarutobi chuckled, "Yes, I am. You know Kyuume, have you ever heard the story of the Fourth Hokage and his sacrifice to save the village?"

Kyuume looked up curiously, "No!! Can I here it? Please!" he jumped up and down excitedly.

Sarutobi smiled and sat on a nearby bench. Kyuume took a seat next to him and looked intently, "You see, many years back, before you came here, we were attacked by a vicious monster. A demon called the Nine-Tailed Fox which had tremendous power. None of our ninja could defeat it until our Fourth Hokage came. He used his power to seal the demon away and save the village, but it costed him his life. It was his sacrifice and love for the village that saved us all."

Kyuume stared into Sarutobi's face, he saw the sadness and the pride that he felt. He saw the respect he had for ninja who had great power and relinquished it to save that which they swore to protect. Sacrifice, Love, Honor; these were the things Kyuume dreamed of achieving. Being around a village full of wonderful ninja, he often spoke about becoming one himself and showing that even though he was an outsider, he was still part of the village. He wanted to prove that for once, he was one of them, a village-member, a great ninja; not just a poor boy with no family. These goals burned deep within him since the yellow-haired boy had taught him the same principles and aspired for them himself. He was his true friend, who shared in his pain. For once, he had someone to relate to, and to rival as well. As his mind buzzed with the dreams of being recognized, Sarutobi continued to talk, only this time, his words were cross.

"Kyuume, I have something to ask you." he face turned rigid at his own words.

"Hmmm? What would that be Sarutobi?" he asked pleasantly.

"Sarutobi looked into his eyes, "I know that lately, you've felt somewhat..isolated, because of the testing you've undergone. So what I want you to do something that will bring you closer to achieving your dream."

Kyuume's eyes lit up, "Really?! I could be a great ninja like you?!"

Sarutobi nodded, "Yes, maybe even greater. But you must do one thing."

"Anything! I will train, I will study, I will do anything!" he said eagerly.

"Very well then. Starting tomorrow, you will be sent to a new facility just outside the village. The proctors will test you ten times as rigid than in the academy. It will be dangerous, bu tit is the only way to unlock the potential you possess."

Kyuume thought to himself, "Me? Potential? Could I really become as great as the Hokages? Is there really that kind of power inside me?" he looked to Sarutobi and nodded, "To become a true ninja of this village and protect it, I will."

Sarutobi sighed, "Very well, go and pack your things, you're leaving early tomorrow."

Kyuume smiled and walked happily back to the hospital where he had taken up residence. Sarutobi looked at him as he walked with his eyes burning with sadness. He knew what he had done, he had betrayed the boy. Nothing that he said will prepare him for the torture he was about to endure. Though he was confident now, the boy had gone on his own free will. Now, the rest would be up to him. All the blood, sweat, and anguish he would take would be for the safety of Konoha, whether he becomes the villages best ninja or worse nightmare.

From the moment he stepped foot onto the facility, he was tested. The guide to the facility abandoned him and forced him to find his own way. When he arrived, he was assailed by shuriken and kunai causing him to dive and dodge frantically until he got into the building. Panting and frightened, the dark room shone a single light upon him. A deep voice rang out in the darkness.

"Subject Kyuume Akemai, you are hereby enrolled into Konoha's Maximum Security Training Facility! You will eat, sleep, and breathe the way of the ninja! You will be tested brutally in taijustu, genjutsu, and ninjutsu! There are only two ways: pass or fail. You only fail if you die, do you understand?!"

Kyuume's mind was jumbled but one thing kept ringing loudly, "To be a great ninja, I must not fear, must not cry, must not show weakness. To protect that which I cherish, I must abandon all doubt, regardless of the pain." his eyes closed as he took a deep breath. He opened them slowly and replied, "I do."

The voice rang out, "Very well, welcome to your new home for the next five years."

To the villagers, five years was nothing too complacent, but to Kyuume, it felt like decades. Day after day, he was trained and pushed to his limits and the brink of death. His body would be covered in deep gashes, bruises, and left in a state of almost permanent trauma. Only his determination kept him alive. He would study instead of sleep and would await the proctors on the grounds before they could wake. His body and mind quickly adapted to the regiment after the first week, and all the days after that, he was no longer himself. The boy's once cheerful demeanor hardened slowly as his training burned dismal memories into his mind. His body had grown along with his abilities and he came to develop his body and mind to unimaginable standards. Daily blood tests and physicals made sure to document his progress, the results were remarkable. His body was able to perform an action to near perfection after seeing it once and could memorize anything in writing after skimming the page. As expected, his body continued to build in prowess until the day came, five years later, where he reached his peak.

It was another day in Konoha where everyone was hustling and stores were bustling. The Third was up in his office watching the people of his village prosper. After a few minutes, an ANBU ninja walked into his door, he carried a dingy file that was worn by time. The Third turned to him and nodded slowly.

"So, it has been five years already? None to soon; after the Uchiha incident, it was almost coincidence that he left a week before it happened. When will he be arriving?"

The ANBU responded, "He is already in the city. He is currently surveying the area to gather information. He is preparing for the upcoming exams."

Sarutobi sighed, "He didn't even come by to say hello. Oh well, I can't expect much of him after the last five years. Is he going to study the rookies making it into the exams this year?"

"Yes, afterwards, he will await your orders to proceed in the filtering out of miscreants in the exams." the ANBU said.

"Hmmm, very well. Let's proceed with the first part of the exams, then he can gather as much information as he wants." With that, Sarutobi and the ANBU ninja left to start the first part of the Chuunin Exams.

It was noon, a bright day, and all the ninja from far and near came to begin the exam that would determine their worth to the villages from which they hailed. As the massing number of ninja increased inside the building, a young man, no older than sixteen, his neck-length dark hair draped across his eyes, walked slowly into the building. His body was hidden behind a dark coat and his footsteps made little, if any, sound. He slithered his way between the groups of young Genin, many of which were no older than thirteen. Even with his presumptuous height above them, he went passed virtually unquestioned. At the entrance, two boys stood like guards and were beginning to stir some trouble with some other ninja from the village. As one of the boys, a dark-blue haired Genin, went to strike one of the guards, a green-jumpsuit wearing ninja stopped the assault with incredible speed. The young man's eyes were hidden, but a glint revealed that he had intently studied all three of the boys' movements. Afterwards, all the Genin began to move away from the door and went one story down to the real test facility. The young man stood there for a moment then slowly followed the crowd. He was stopped by the two guards who had now revealed themselves to be proctors in disguise.

One spoke to the young man, "Hey, you seem a bit old to be taking this kind of exam. What village are you from?"

The young man looked to them, "You needn't worry about me, I am here to simply observe. That is my mission." His voice was deep and strong, it only added to his 6'2" stature.

"What do you mean mission? Are you one of this village's shinobi?" the other proctor asked.

"I don't need to answer such a frivolous question." the young man said turning and walking away. Before the proctors could stop him, he disappeared in a ripple of air.

In the testing room, the first part proctor handed out the test and watched as many of the Genin used secretive means to obtain information. One of the judges sitting got up and walked out for a moment. Then, a minute later, the young man walked in and sat in the judges seat. No one seemed to notice, they were too intently focused on the test. The young man's eyes furtively scanned the test area as he watched the many ways the young ninjas were gaining the answers. When the test was over, the young man stood up and walked out. He could here the sighs of relief from the Genin who had found out the truth behind the test. As he walked out of the building, two white-masked ANBU ninja approached him out of nowhere.

"Subject K-A-1, give us the analysis of your findings." said the one on the left.

The young man spoke sternly, "From basic analysis, the crop of Genin this year are far more promising than expected. In fact, few have the skill now equal to a Jounin. None of this can be confirmed without one-on-one confrontation."

"I suppose you mean yourself?" the one on the right said.

The young man nodded, "Yes, in order to adequately gauged their potential, there must be a large ruler to measure them by. By which I mean myself."

"Understood, we shall send word to the Hokage of your findings and you will await further orders in the tower." the one on the left said.

"Understood, I shall await Hokage-Sama's orders in the tower." the young man turned as the ANBU on the right spoke out.

"And one more thing, the Hokage gave us a message to relay to you." he handed the young man a piece of paper and the two left in a dust of smoke.

The young man opened the paper and he saw in bold letters: "Welcome Back, Kyuume." his eyes stared at the name as he spoke slowly, "Kyuume.." he crumpled the paper and sighed as he disappeared as well.

In the tower, Kyuume looked out over the trees with his hair parted slightly from his face to reveal only one eye. Its dark rings circled his pupil which had been widening and narrowing as he perceived the forest. He couldn't see the individual ninjas within the forest, but he could sense their presence as his eyes pierced the thick foliage. In his mind, he could hear cries of anguish, screams, and panting, the symptoms of a chaotic struggle. He only waited about half an hour before the first group arrived in the tower. Kyuume crept silently as he looked to see who they were. It was the Sand ninjas, they had gotten there faster than any record and with absolutely no wounds whatsoever. Kyuume's eyes focused on them as their dark color began to lighten and rapidly oscillate between dark and light allowing his body to become relaxed. Before the Sand ninja could even sense his presence, he had gone back to the loft where he dwelt. He sat down by the window and began muttering words to himself until other groups came, then he would repeat the process until all the groups that would show up came.

The Genin had been placed in the middle of a room with their peers looking at them. There was their Senseis, the first and second part proctors, and the Third Hokage. They stood in lines as the Hokage announced a preliminary match was to be held. Each Genin was paired up with another as they would fight to see who would go on to the next match which would determine if they were to become Chuunin. One after another, each ninja proofed their worth by fighting as hard as they could. In the darkest corner of the room, Kyuume watched, his eyes oscillating again as he watched every match with incredible attention to detail. After the preliminaries had been done, only a handful remained, and those who didn't make it were either injured severely or dead. The Hokage spoke out and told the survivors that they had three months to wait and train until the actual third part of the Chuunin Exams would take place. As the hopeful Genin left, the Third and a few of his ANBU guards stayed behind. He looked forward and smiled slightly.

"Its nice to see you back so soon, Kyuume." he said as it echoed in the empty room.

The rippling air allowed Kyuume to appear in front of them all without them sensing his entrance. His head was down and his cloak was still on, "It is an honor to be back Hokage-Sama."

"Sarutobi chuckled, "You know you can still call me by my name Kyuume, I would not ask you to call me by anything else."

"I apologize Hokage-Sama, but those who deserve respect will receive it, even if we are friends." he said still bowed and on one knee.

Sarutobi looked at him puzzled, "Is that so? Very well then, I cannot force you to call me by my name, so I will allow you to have your respects."he looked at Kyuume sternly.

"Thank you Hokage-Sama. What do you wish for me to do now?" Kyuume looked up to show both his eyes, gleaming in their dark ambience.

"I want you to gather more information over the course of three months on all the Genin who will participate in the next part of the Chuunin Exam. Afterwards, you will participate in a special series of matches that will be set up to test those who have made it." Sarutobi said.

Kyuume nodded, "Understood, I will return in three months with the information you require." he disappeared quickly in the same way he appeared.

Sarutobi sighed and thought to himself, "What has happened to you Kyuume? You've changed so much in five years. Seeing you like this, reminds me of _him_, the prodigy son of the Uchihas. Hopefully, your training has made you into what it was designed for, the supreme ninja of Konoha. Maybe then you can accomplish your dream." he snapped his fingers and him, along with his ANBU guards disappeared in a gust of wind.

In the course of three months, Kyuume had ventured to every village and studied the environment of all the ninjas in the Chuunin Exams. He took only himself, nothing else, and he came back with details that seemed to be comprised by the Genin themselves. He finished his mission in one month instead of three and used the other two to train himself. It had been weeks since his last test so he had to ensure his body was still at its peak, and it was. When the time was almost at hand, the Genin were summoned to the arena three weeks earlier by the Hokage. When they came, only the Hokage stood in the stands, along with a few Jounin who came as a precaution. The Hokage stood up and cleared his throat as he was about to speak.

"Good morning Finalists, I am glad you all made it." he started out, "You're probably wondering why I summoned you all here so early, I will explain that now." he looked at them sternly.

His voice boomed over them, "You've had over two months to prepare for this, that is more than enough time to develop anything you planned to use. At this time, those skills will be tested so as to give all of you an idea of what you should be able to do as a Chuunin. This brings me to my point. All of you will participate in matches against one opponent, the same opponent. May I present to you, your substitute proctor..." he voiced trailed off as a figure appeared on the ground in front of the Genin. Then he continued, "Kyuume Akemai." The figure stood up with his cloak still on him.

Kyuume spoke sternly, "I will be your opponent for today. I will fight you in any order I please. So.." he scanned their faces, "You, your first." he pointed to the Leaf ninja who had his hands in his pockets.

The boy's voice was indifferent, "Oh great, I'm first on the slaughter-list, how troublesome." he walked out in front of the rest.

"Alright, the rest of you, take your seats in the stands and await my call." His biting tone made some of them walk hesitantly to the stands. They looked on as the first match was about to start. One yellow-haired ninja yelled out rambunctiously, "GO SHIKAMARU!"

Both ninja looked at each other and tried to scan every aspect of their opponents body. As they did, the Hokage's voice boomed over them, "Let the first match, Kyuume versus Shikamaru...BEGIN!" with that, Kyuume rushed into action.

His cloak flew off and revealed his true self as he rushed quickly at Shikamaru. He had ankle-length, dark pants, a dark-grey, tight vest over his long-sleeve that went into his black gloves, and Konoha headband insignia on the back of his vest collar and his vest buckle. Shikamaru moved quickly out of Kyuume's way but didn't see his foot swinging as it caught Shikamaru in the side of the head. As he tumbled, Kyuume kept his leg swinging and flung himself with his own weight up and above Shikamaru. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out three kunai knives and threw them away from Shikamaru intentionally, they hit the ground, in the tree, and in the ground parallel to the first. Shikamaru got back to his feet and dodged behind a tree to collect his thoughts.

"Alright, so I'm dealing with someone far more skilled than I am, he is faster and stronger than me, and I know nothing about this guy's ninjutsu. Just great. The only chance I have is to lure him here and ambush him with my Shadow Possession Jutsu before he can figure it out." he sat and thought behind the tree.

Kyuume landed and looked at the tree where Shikamaru hid. His eyes stared intently as he could hear the muttering of the Genin behind the tree. Kyuume took three small balls out of his pocket and looked to the kunai he set up. He then looked to Shikamaru who had turned to face his opponent with a smile. Kyuume ran toward him as Shikamaru pulled a big ball from behind him and threw it at him. The bomb exploded and light filled the arena, the shadow of the tree grew. Suddenly, Shikamaru's shadow grew and went straight from the tree's shadow to Kyuume's. Just then, Kyuume let go one of his balls, it exploded and made a short but violent burst of light. The combined light made Kyuume's shadow bend away from Shikamaru's as his big light bomb began to fade. Shikamaru tried again as Kyuume leapt sideways and dropped another ball. Again, his shadow bent away from Shikamaru's, the big light was dimming still. I one final attempt, Shikamaru put all his strength into expanding his shadow to surround Kyuume's. He also released an explosive tag on a large tree limb making it shoot out for a wider, longer strike range. Once more, Kyuume let go of a ball and another burst of light happened and not only did Kyuume's shadow bend but Shikamaru's became narrower because of its intensity and relative closeness to the ground.

Tired, Shikamaru only saw Kyuume's fist plant into the side of his face and send him into the wall. The force caused him to lurch sideways and spin causing a slight skidding on the wall before collision. Shikamaru fell down, almost unconscious, the match was over. Before he blacked out completely, Shikamaru saw what Kyuume had done. He saw the kunai and their reflection hit into his eyes.

He thought to himself, "that's how he did it, refraction. He knew that my jutsu was shadow based and anticipated every move I'd make. Its as if he knew everything I was about to do before I could do them. Who is this guy?" Medical ninja got down to Shikamaru and disappeared quickly, Kyuume walked out into the center of the arena and looked at the faces of the shocked Genin.

His voice bellowed, "Alright, who wants to volunteer next?" he scanned the stands for anyone who would seem appropriate.

A voice came out of the group of Genin standing around, "I'll take you on." A boy with dark-blue hair jumped down and into the arena.

Kyuume looked hard at the boy and started feeling something he hadn't felt in a while, anticipation. He chuckled, "Alright then, lets get this match started then shall we?"

Sarutobi spoke aloud again, "The second match, Kyuume versus Sasuke...BEGIN!"

Kyuume's eyes shot open as a wall of fire approached him followed by a wave of shuriken around the edges. He looked around and saw the shuriken, his eyes moved wildy as he began to mutter words and numbers. Sasuke was on the other end of the wall and began making hand signs as the wall approached his opponent.

As soon as the shuriken reached him and the fire followed, he made rapid hand signs and yelled, "Duton: Yamakuzure no Jutsu!" The ground shifted and extended high into the air making a wave of mud that engulfed the flames, hardened, and stopped the shuriken.

In the center of the mud, a hole opened up as the sound of electricity and chirping echoed on the other side of the wall. Running along the mud wall, Sasuke held his arm to his side and flew along the wall as his hand burst with chakra and energy. Her leapt to the ground and made a cloud of dust until he burst through that. Kyuume could now see his eyes, they were red. He was still muttering words and numbers as Sasuke grew nearer. Seconds before Sasuke jabbed his hand at Kyuume, it stopped inches before his face. Sasuke's eyes widened as he saw his hand become dimmer and dimmer until only the sizzle and smoke remained. His hand was suspended in front of Kyuume's face which had a precarious grin and eyes that shined with anticipation.

Sasuke utter out a few words as his wrist began to bleed, "What?...When did he?..."his hand turned as blood ran down the wires around his wrist. He tried to move his feet but they had been tangled by wire as well.

Kyuume chuckled, "While the fire was coming at me. I used my jutsu to specifically block and alter the trajectory of the wires you intended to trap me with as the fire set in. You tried to mask the wire with the flames and make me choose between the shuriken or the fire. Then, you intentionally used that as a diversion for your main attack which would have caught me off guard if I hadn't realized it soon enough. I'll say this much, your smarter and bolder than some of these children."

Sasuke grinned, "Your right, which is why you're going to loss this match!" he yanked is hand back and pulled the shuriken out of the ground while jumping some feet back.

He pulled the wire to his hands and threw the shuriken quickly at Kyuume. He easily leaned to dodge them with his eyes still on Sasuke until one shuriken came for his head making him duck. In that instant, Sasuke had disappeared leaving Kyuume standing ready. A shadowed blur rushed around Kyuume as his eyes attempted to track it. He only saw the glimmer of Sasuke's red eyes as a ring of dust started forming around him.

Kyuume's eyes began moving rapidly as he began to mutter under his breath and slightly clench his fingers. Suddenly, Sasuke came under Kyuume with his heel aiming for his chin just as Kyuume had finished muttering. He leaned back slightly and pushed his palm into Sasuke's foot making him flip back. Sasuke tried to recover by bringing his other leg up for a harder kick but it only grazed the tip of Kyuume's chin. As Sasuke floated inverted in the air, he felt a warm sting on his spin between his shoulder blades as the sensation built into a burning pain that caused him to scream. Kyuume's fingers had laid embedded in Sasuke's back as his fingertips glowed red.

"Ninpo: Shiiringu no Nenshou Ouda." His fingertips glowed burning red as Sasuke was catapulted across the air and sent tumbling on the ground. Smoke sizzled from Kyuume's hand as his clenched his fist making his knuckles crack. The on-looking Genin could only gape at what had happened, the yellow-haired one stared at Kyuume then to his fingertips remembering a similar technique he fell victim too.

Sarutobi looked shocked at Kyuume then calmly spoke to his ANBU guards, "I thought you said he didn't know any ninjutsu other than what was necessary."

One ANBU answered him, "Yes, but for his last mission, he finished with two months to spare. He may have used that time to develop his own jutsu. He does have that kind of potential."

"Yes, but it cannot be coincidence that his jutsu resembles _his_. Are we sure he does not remember anything before we found him in recent tests?" Sarutobi asked.

"Of course, nothing in his training or anytime leading up until now suggests he knew anything of what happened." the ANBU replied.

Sarutobi looked down and sighed, "He is a gifted boy, could he have fooled the proctors and secretly developed his own jutsu? And if so, what else has he been keeping secret from us?" No one answered him. He thought to himself, "This isn't good, if he has done what we speculate, he may have become what we feared." Sarutobi spoke aloud, "We'll let the match continue, just to see what happens."

Dust rose and from the ground, Sasuke slowly got to his feet. He staggered slightly as he gasped and panted. There were five burned holes in his shirt on his back and underneath were symbols that were barely visible. When he reached back, a burning sensation rushed through his body. He looked across the area to see Kyuume staring at him intently, his eyes so focused they almost glinted with the impulse to kill. Sasuke, trying to bluff to his enemy, began to speak out as if the technique hadn't affected him.

"Hey, what was that? Were you trying to tickle me or actually hurt me?" he grinned mockingly.

Kyuume still stared with his eyes locked on Sasuke, "There's no point in bluffing, I can tell by your body, eyes, and stance that you are in no condition to be cocky. That jutsu is just the beginning. Wait until I unlock its full potential, depending on whether or not it kills you first."

Sasuke growled under his breath, "We'll see about that." He felt a surge of power from within him. Something about this guy made his blood boil. It reminded him so much of his long bereaved brother.

His eyes widened as the power of his eyes had been activated once again. This time, he would make sure that Kyuume wouldn't escape or counter him. Sasuke then disappeared from Kyuume's sight as a streaking line of dust came right for him. Sasuke darted at him with his hand glowing again and aiming for Kyuume's heart. Before Kyuume could grasp Sasuke's arm, he burst into white smoke, a shadow clone. From behind the smoke, five kunai came through but Kyuume effortlessly dodged them. Suddenly, he felt something grasp his ankle, it pulled on him and dragged him into the ground. Sasuke jumped out with wire around his fingers as he pulled up making Kyuume rise encased in stone and wrapped with wire. Kyuume had made an error, he forgot to calculate Sasuke's lesser used abilities and now he was paying for it. It was a mistake and he could never make a mistake. Sasuke gripped the wire hard as his made hand signs for the final attack. "Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu!" A spiraling pillar of fire roared on the wire towards the bound Kyuume.

He had no choice, Kyuume knew he would not survive if he didn't use _it_, the technique he swore never to use it on or in front of anyone but _him_. As the flames reached their target, Kyuume's voice bellowed out in a stern, coarse voice, "Kinshi Sa Reru Ninpo: Koutetsu Hokyou Bodi no Jutsu!" The flames connected and the entire pillar was incinerated leaving a huge burning cylinder in the middle of the area. Everyone looked in horror at the destructive force of Sasuke's attack, nothing could survive it. As the flames began to die down, Sasuke dropped the wire knowing there was nothing on the other end except scorched rock and what remained of his opponent. As Sasuke began to turn around, the wire slightly moved. He felt his body tighten as the wire inched its way into the smoking crater. Everyone's eyes were on the smoke as it began to clear and reveal something unimaginable. In the center of the smoke, Kyuume stood with his clothes completely eradicated except for the remaining cloth on his chest and extremities, he had not one burn or scratch on his body. His hair was slightly raised and his eyes were hollow, only the tiny vertical slit of his pupil could be seen.

He raised his hands slowly and made a hand sign. "Saisho Shiiru : Hi no Shiiru." Sasuke's eyes widened as his body began to burn making him fall to his knees. Kyuume took slow steps towards him as his hand sign changed one after another every time he spoke, "Dai 2 Shiiru : Sui no Shiiru... Dai 3 Shiiru : Chikyuu no Shiiru... Dai 4 Shiiru : Fuu no Shiiru...Saishuu Teki na Shiiru : Fumetsu no Shiiru." Sasuke couldn't stand it, the pain was unreal, like nothing he could ever imagine. His eyes rolled back as blood and foam gurgled from his mouth, he fell on his face convulsing uncontrollably. After a few minutes, the shaking stopped and Sasuke could feel his consciousness coming back. He looked up slowly and saw Kyuume standing in front of him, the same despising stare in his eyes.

Sasuke uttered out what he could through the choking blood, "You..you couldn't have..survived..my attack..what..are you?"

Kyuume spoke darkly with malice in his voice, " What I am doesn't matter. All you need to know is that this is where the fight ends, and when you wake up, if you wake up, you'll never be a ninja for the rest of your life." He reeled back as his leg pulsed with energy as he swung it into Sasuke's face making him launch up and backwards flipping until he slammed into the wall.

Kyuume looked to the audience, "This match is over. Who else is next?"

Key For Jutsus:

:(Duton: Yamakuzure no Jutsu Earth Style: Mud Avalanche Technique)

:(Ninpo: Shiiringu no Nenshou Ouda Ninja Art: Burning Strikes of Sealing)

:(Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique)

:(Kinshi Sa Reru Ninpo: Koutetsu Hokyou Bodi no Jutsu Forbidden Ninja Art: Reinforcing Steel-Body Technique)

:(Saisho Shiiru : Hi no Shiiru First Seal: Seal of Fire)

:(Dai 2 Shiiru : Sui no Shiiru Second Seal: Seal of Water)

:(Dai 3 Shiiru : Chikyuu no Shiiru Third Seal: Seal of Earth)

:(Dai 4 Shiiru : Fuu no Shiiru Fourth Seal: Seal of Wind)

:(Saishuu Teki na Shiiru : Fumetsu no Shiiru Final Seal: Seal of Immortality)

-**Please review this for me and make sure to read my other works and review them as well.**


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